40


EXTERIORS Retrofit for zero carbon


The Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund provides one way for social housing providers in England to improve the quality of homes for their tenants although bidding teams may need support in working out the best way to treat older properties – says Caroline Bowler of SIG Distribution


T


he application window for funding under Wave 3 of the Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund (SHDC) is expected to open this summer. Te Fund was set up by the government to enhance the energy efficiency of


socially rented homes in England. Of the 24 million homes in England, 4 million are social homes. Of these,


1.4 million are below Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) Band C; with 1.2 million EPC D; 105,000 EPC E; and 40,000 EPC F and G. Te government’s target is for as many homes as possible to achieve an EPC C by 2035. Tis makes social landlords responsible for decarbonising a significant proportion of England’s homes if England is to reach its net zero target by 2050. In addition to helping move towards net zero, upgrading the energy


efficiency of social housing will also bring significant benefits to tenants. Social housing is some of the least energy efficient in the country, forcing tenants to spend more to heat their homes, so improving their energy efficiency will also reduce heating bills helping to liſt households out of fuel poverty. To reduce fuel poverty the government has set a target for fuel poor homes to achieve an Energy Efficiency Rating (EER) C by 2030. Although meeting energy efficiency standards will bring significant


environmental and social benefits, retrofitting energy efficiency improvements can be expensive and technically challenging. Te SHDC was introduced to help social landlords make energy efficiency improvements by making funding available in a series of waves. Bidding for Wave 2.2 closed to applications in January 2024. Te bidding window for Wave 3 is expected to open in summer, so now is the time to start planning Landlords looking to take advantage of this fund will find a huge amount


of advice on how to access the fund on the government-backed service social housing retrofit accelerator. Social housing is made up of a wide variety of house types, so it is unlikely


Social housing is made up of a wide variety of house types, so it is unlikely one solution will fit all


one solution will fit all. Eligible measures are energy efficiency and heating measures compatible with the Standard Assessment Procedure (SAP), which includes cavity wall, loſt and external insulation, ventilation improvements, the installation of heat pumps and window and door replacement. All retrofit projects should consider the whole-house (envelope, heating,


ventilation and energy systems) and not individual elements in isolation. It is also important to remember that retrofit measures don’t have to be delivered all in one go and can be phased. Bidders for funding are encouraged to use fabric first principles, based on


reducing the heating demand for a home before installing new heating systems or energy systems to avoid oversizing or inappropriate renewable energy systems being installed. Government statistics show that to the end of November 2023, the majority


of measures installed under Wave 1 and Wave 2.1 funding were insulation measures (59% under Wave 1, 69% under Wave 2) with loſt, cavity wall and solid wall insulation all featuring. Other significant measures included the installation of energy efficient doors and windows and solar PV. As with any retrofit project, however, the real challenge lies in the variation


in individual properties. For example, in North Devon, £4.8 million has been allocated to bring some 3,500 properties up to EPC level C over a four-year period. Tis area has a huge range of house types, each presenting their own technical issues. Many are solid walls, some have flat roofs and a


WWW.BUILDINGCONSTRUCTIONDESIGN.CO.UK


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42